The offices of the management of the dump site at the center of the tragic landslide in Shenzhen has been raided by Chinese authoritiesm who found out that they were operating illegally. The company had allegedly been ordered to close five months ago. Meanwhile, Chinese state media has reported that the number of missing individuals is down to 76.

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On Tuesday, a respondent from Reuters saw two law enforcement officials within the offices of Shenzhen Yixianglong Investment Development. However, no staff or personnel was found on duty.

Buried beneath the thick mud and debris of the 33 concrete buildings that toppled, at least one body has been found.

Thousands of rescuers - with the aid of drones, sensors and earth excavators - are carefully searching the 380,000 square meter area, where mud is as thick as 10 meters (33 feet), for a possible signs of life. The search and rescue operation continues even at night with the aid of floodlights as rescuers "race against time."

In 2013, a company named Shenzhen Luwei Property Management won the bid to manage the dump site located in the Hengtaiyu industrial park. However, even before winning the bid, the rights had already been sold to Shenzhen Yixianglong Investment Development at a cost of 750,000 yuan ($115,766). 

Yixianglong's business permit does not include logistics management. In the contract signed by two companies, Yixianglong agreed to take any responsibilities if any accidents occur.

In a span of four months, this is the second man-made disaster in the country. More than 160 people lost their lives following a major chemical blast in Tianjin earlier this year.

Tagsshenzhen dump site, landslide in shenzhen, logistics management, Shenzhen Luwei Property Management